


The Mystery of the Smile

by LizaCameron



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M, Family, Fluff, Romance, post-ep
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-09
Updated: 2015-02-03
Packaged: 2018-03-06 18:47:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,695
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3144716
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LizaCameron/pseuds/LizaCameron
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A series of conversations sparked by a smile.  in Part 1, Emma and Mary Margaret talk about Hook.<br/>In Part 2 it's Killian and Charming's turn.<br/>In Part 3, Emma and Killian finally talk about his heart, hand and ill-fated dealings with Gold, post 4x11.<br/>Captain Swan.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Part 1 - Mary Margaret and Emma

**Author's Note:**

> For Captain Swan smile week. All the gif sets inspired me to think about how much more Emma is smiling than she used to do and to think about what if someone else noticed as well. Total and complete fluff, I think, actually I’m not sure what this is.

“You’re smiling,” Mary Margaret said as she surveyed her daughter across the table. 

“What?” Emma knit her brows in confusion, a slight flush coloring her cheeks as she looked up from her phone.

“You’re smiling,” her mother repeated, setting down her coffee cup. They were sitting at the kitchen table, Mary Margaret picking at some toast while Emma enjoyed a more hearty breakfast. David had left for the station early, Henry was at Regina’s and the baby slept peacefully. It was a rare moment of quiet in the loft. “You’re sitting there smiling to yourself.”

“No, I wasn’t. That’s ridiculous.” Emma sounded so defensive that Mary Margaret looked taken aback and shifted uncomfortably at her reaction.

“Emma, it’s nice. I’m just commenting that you’re smiling. It’s not a bad thing. I was just wondering what made you smile.”

Emma shook her head and adopted a cool tone. “Nothing. I’m eating breakfast, I’m not smiling.”

“Okay,” Mary Margaret raised her hands in defeat and then once again picked up her mug. She glanced down at the newspaper that was spread in front of her. They sat in silence for several minutes, until Mary Margaret once again peeked over at her daughter. 

“There!” Mary Margaret said in an almost accusatory tone. “There it is. You’re smiling again.”

“No, I’m not.” The smile vanished from Emma’s face. “I don’t smile.”

“Actually that’s not true. You do smile. You never used to smile, but you’ve been smiling a lot. At least lately and just now…” Mary Margaret paused for a dramatic effect, beaming to herself, “you were definitely smiling.”

Emma sat back in her chair and sighed. “So what if I was?”

Mary Margaret shrugged and then asked nonchalantly, “Are you thinking about your boyfriend?”

“Mom!” Emma’s eyes flashed in indignation as a tell-tale blush crept up her neck. “This is so embarrassing. I’m thirty years old, not 16. I’m not sitting her daydreaming about…” she paused as she searched for the proper word, she settled on, “anybody.”

“Okay.” Mary Margaret once again appeared as if she would drop the subject. That lasted about ten seconds before she broke the silence. “It’s just that I know you and Hook have grown close, but you never really talk about it. I was wondering if you might want to talk about it.”

Emma gave her a tight-lipped smile. “Thanks, I’m good,” she said before she looked back down to the table and her phone. 

They sat in silence for almost a minute, both of them going back to their prior actives. 

“There it is again.” Mary Margaret muttered as she made a show of continuing to look at the newspaper in front of her. 

“Are you policing my facial expressions?” Emma replied with a bit of irritation, before adding, “I really need my own place.”

“Of course not!” Mary Margaret replied quickly. Her attempt at getting her daughter to talk about her love life was backfiring; it seemed like she failed every time she tried to be a mother to Emma. “It just… it makes me happy to see you happy. I’d like to be able to share in that. But if it makes you uncomfortable, I won’t say another word.”

Emma looked back down to her phone and sighed. She was being a pill, she knew it, but she wasn’t used to talking about these things, especially with a mother. After several moments of reflection she lifted her gaze to the woman sitting across from her. “Maybe,” Emma picked up her phone and gestured with it, “I’m smiling because I just read a funny internet meme.”

“A what?” Mary Margaret asked with very honest confusion.

“Nothing.” Emma did smile this time in real amusement. “I forget that even though you’ve been in this realm for years you were stuck in 1983 for most of that time. Just something funny on the internet.”

“Oh,” Mary Margaret nodded as she took a sip of her coffee. “So you’re smiling about something on the internet?”

Emma looked up at the ceiling, why had she opened this door? Because now that she had, she couldn’t lie. “No. You were right. It’s Kil… Hook. He figured out how to take pictures with his phone and how to send them to me.” 

“Are they dirty?” Mary Margret asked conspiratorially.

“What!? No!” Emma practically screeched. “Why would you ask that?”

“I don’t know, I read somewhere that people,” she waved her hand towards the window, “out there, in your world, do that. I’m trying to keep an open mind.”

“We don’t!” Emma replied quickly and turned her phone towards her mother. “See it’s a picture of his breakfast at Granny’s. That’s it.” 

Mary Margaret’s eyebrows rose as she studied the photo. “Oatmeal, orange juice and coffee.” Mary Margaret listed off the rather mundane contents of the picture; it was hardly smile-inducing stuff. “Granny does make decent oatmeal, but…”

“But what?” Emma tilted her head to one side as she questioned her mother.

“Oatmeal isn’t funny, Emma.”

“I never said oatmeal was funny.”

“A-Ha! So you weren’t smiling because of oatmeal, you were smiling because of him.”

Emma rolled her eyes and then focused on her mom. She looked so excited, almost like a puppy, the expression alone made Emma relent. “Okay,” she met her mother’s eye, “I get that you would like me to be more open about all of this. That’s not easy for me, but how about… I give you three questions.”

“Three?” Mary Margaret questioned, sounding suddenly intrigued.

“Yup, ask away.” Emma leaned back in her chair, her arms crossed against her chest protectively. 

“Uh…” Mary Margaret’s mind was suddenly blank. Over the last few weeks, she’d desired to know a thousand things, but now that her opening had come, she was scrambling for something say.

Emma seized the opportunity. “If you can’t think of anything, no problem, we’ll let it drop.”

Under pressure, Mary Margaret blurted out, “Why were you smiling?” and immediately regretted it. She knew why Emma had been smiling. She mentally kicked herself for wasting one of her questions.

Emma replied matter-of-factly. “Because Hook texted me a picture of oatmeal.”

Mary Margaret tilted her head and shot her daughter a pointed look. A look that clearly said her answer was not satisfactory. She may have wasted her question, but she might as well try to wheedle something out of her usually tight-lipped daughter.

Emma tried to stare down her mother, but failed. Finally, she relented with a shrug. “I don’t know… why does anyone smile? I guess because I get a kick out of it when he experiments with technology… and… and texting me a photo of his breakfast means he was thinking of me and it made me smile. I guess.”

Mary Margaret nodded and looked satisfied with that answer. She assessed her daughter before posing her next query. “Why do you like him?”

“Why do I like him?” Emma felt herself stiffen at the question, jumping to the immediate conclusion that her mother couldn’t understand what she might see in him, couldn’t see his inherent value. However, when she looked into Mary Margaret’s open expression, she didn’t see judgment, only curiosity.

“Well,” Emma cleared her throat and fidgeted in her chair, showing signs of obvious discomfort. “Obviously… he’s charming, funny and smart…” Emma paused at the almost imperceptible look of doubt that crossed her mother’s face; she decided to defend the only one of those traits that wasn’t subjective. “Really he’s much cleverer than people even give him credit for… plus he’s almost criminally good-looking.” She felt her cheeks redden at that and considered leaving it there. Those things were enough to like someone, right? However, she didn’t stop. She wasn’t sure why she continued, except that she felt an almost primal need to defend him flare deep in her soul. Even if he wasn’t being attacked, she knew he deserved to have someone in his corner, someone who would put voice to what made him special. “He… his heart is… so big…” Emma then added almost under her breath,” that is when it’s in his chest.” She gave a small huff of a laugh at her own joke, before continuing, “He cares… he’s… he’s been there for me, really, in a way that no one ever has…”

At that Mary Margaret winced, the bare reality of her inadequate parenting hitting her full force. 

Emma watched her mother’s reaction and then quickly continued speaking, clearly hoping to cover the moment. “I don’t know, I guess we have… a thing.”

“A thing?” 

Emma waved her hand in the air in a gesture that was meant to signify everything and maybe nothing as she searched for the right way to explain it. “Maybe I mean that we have *the* thing. You know, chemistry, attraction… whatever you want to call the indefinable factor between two people. We have it and I like that.” 

Engrossed, Mary Margaret studied her daughter and then asked the question she hadn’t thought she’d dare. 

“Emma, are you in love?”

Emma felt the air whoosh out of her and vaguely noted that it was a good thing she’d been seated and not standing because she might have staggered at the question. It was not what she’d been expecting. No one could say her mother wasted her last question. However, she tried to ignore her own physical reaction to the question; instead she adopted an unconcerned façade and shrugged. “I don’t know.” 

Mary Margaret narrowed her eyes suspiciously at her daughter, clearly not buying what she was selling.

“I don’t!” Emma defended her answer, but then she thought of him and thought of the question. She felt herself blush hotly and she couldn’t have stopped the smile that spread across her face if she’d wanted to. So she took a deep-breath and met her mother’s eye. “I don’t know, that’s the truth… but… I do know that I’ve never felt like this. Nothing has ever felt like this.”

Mary Margaret felt her heart clench in her chest. Emma was happy. And smiling. Actually, it was the most beautiful smile she’d ever seen. Whether she knew it or not, her daughter was clearly, irrevocably, head-over-heels in love. She felt a matching smile grace her own features and she looked back down at her newspaper. “Okay then, thank you; I think we’ve cleared up the mystery of the smile.”


	2. Part 2 - David and Killian

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is a companion piece to Emma and Mary Margaret’s breakfast conversation in The Mystery of the Smile. It answers what was happening at Granny’s dinner while the two women were talking. That’s right, Captain Charming.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For Captain Swan smile week.

“Thank you, Granny, this’ll hit the spot,” David said as he accepted the large, to-go cup of coffee from the usually curmudgeonly proprietor. However, today she was all smiles.

“You’re welcome. Anything for Storybrooke’s finest.” 

“You’re in a chipper mood today,” David commented, not really expecting a response, but in step with her mood, she surprised him by answering.

“Ever since that blasted curse of shattered sight, or whatever it was... was lifted, I have a new outlook. Only see the good in people.”

“Really?” David lifted an eyebrow at her. “How long do you expect that change to last?”

She huffed slightly at the inference that it would not last long, but then chuckled. “At least to the end of the week. Speaking of change, your daughter’s boyfriend,” Granny nodded her head to the back of the restaurant, “seems back to normal... if there is a normal for a pirate residing on land in Storybrooke. He’d been pretty broody the last few days, even before the curse.”

David glanced to the back of the restaurant his gaze hopping booth to booth until he spotted Hook. He was seated, breakfast in front of him, but instead of eating he was intently studying his phone. David would have stopped to say hi, but a sense of duty was urging him back to the station. Even though he knew of no new crisis, he was the only one working today and after the events of the last few weeks, citizens were on edge. He didn’t want anyone calling and bothering Emma on her morning off, if the station was vacant. 

He was about to turn to the exit when he saw a giant, self-satisfied grin spread across the erstwhile pirate’s face. Before he could really think about what he was doing, duty and the town were forgotten and some dad-impulse, probably deep-coded into his DNA, had him crossing the room towards Hook and away from the door. There could only be one thing putting that smile on his face and David was going to get to the bottom of it. 

“Morning,” David said as he approached. His voice was slightly clipped and the look on his face was probing, as if he was eyeing a suspect. When he came to a standstill, his stance was wide and imposing, built to take up as much room as possible. 

Killian looked up from the device in his hand and smiled once again at the sight of the other man. “Ahhh, Dave, good morning, would you care to join me?” he gestured to the empty spot across from him in the booth. 

“No. Thank you.” David crossed his arms across his chest as he eyed the pirate.

“Okay,” Killian shifted in his seat, sensing the oddly confrontational air of the other man. The vinyl of the booth squeaked against the leather of his jacket as he pushed himself forward, adopting a more formal posture. “What can I do for you? Your demeanor suggests a purpose.”

“What were you smiling about just now?”

“What?” Hook’s eyebrows shot up in surprise at the abrupt and unexpected question. 

“Why were you smiling?”

“I must say, that’s not what I was expecting.” Killian put his coffee cup down and eyed David quizzically. “May I ask, respectfully of course, what concern you have in the matter?”

“I don’t like that look on your face.”

“My smile?” Killian punctuated it by flashing the other man a toothy grin. “You don’t like my smile? I can assure you I’ve had few complaints in the past, quite the opposite in fact, I’ve been the recipient of many compliments of that very feature.”

“It’s not the… I mean… its fine; your actual smile is fine. Nice even. Um... what was I saying?” David crinkled his brow in confusion as he tried to remember his point. “Oh yeah, it’s not the smile itself, it’s that I don’t like the fact that you’re smiling.”

Killian studied the other man appraisingly and then shook his head as if in disagreement. “If you don’t want me smiling, I’m sorry, but I can’t oblige you. I almost perished at the hands of the Dark One; he had control of my heart for what felt to me an interminable amount of time. Since his plan to extinguish my existence failed, I very much feel like smiling.” Killian raised his coffee cup as if to toast and said in a jovial voice, “To a new day.” When David didn’t oblige him by tipping his own cup, Killian shrugged and took a sip. 

“Emma didn’t get home until very late last night.” David’s tone could not be mistaken. There was accusation in every aspect of his being. 

“Ah.” Killian wrinkled his nose as he muttered under his breath, “She really does need her own place.” He raised his gaze to David’s face as he sat down his coffee cup and this time spoke at a decibel level that David was meant to hear, not that David had failed to hear his last remark. “Now we’re getting to the heart of the matter. Won’t you sit down?”

After several long moments, David finally accepted the offer and slid into the booth, setting his to-go coffee cup on the table in front of him. 

“So?” Killian began and gestured to David, prompting the other man to say what was on his mind.

“So.” David replied stoically.

Killian sighed audibly, but refrained from rolling his eyes, though he was sorely tempted. “I’m to understand you’re upset because Emma came home late last night?”

“I’m not upset,” David, corrected quickly. “Emma’s an adult she can come and go as she pleases.”

Killian looked at him knowingly before saying, “Glad to hear it. My mistake. What would be the proper word? Troubled? Agitated?”

“I… uh…” David began to sputter, not really sure how he was feeling or what had even spurred this conversation. What had spurred this conversation? The smile. That’s right, the pirate sitting at Granny’s looking like the cat who’d swallowed the canary. “All I know is that Emma came home late last night and then this morning you’re looking smug. A little too smug. I don’t like it.”

“Well then, I think I can put your mind at ease, you see last night, Emma and I-“

“Wait!” David interrupted as he put up his hand in protest. “I don’t want to know!”

At that, Killian smirked and shook his head. “Well then, mate; I’m not sure what you want from me. Especially when I’m trying to tell you, your beef is with Regina, not me.”

“Regina?” David looked incredulous.

“Aye,” Killian replied simply.

“What are you talking about?” David asked with confusion.

“I’m sure you’re apprised of the events of the last few days? If not, the short version is that the Dark One had appropriated my heart. Your daughter kindly restored it to its rightful place. I thanked her as was appropriate…” Killian paused and couldn’t help the wolfish smile that crossed his face as he thought back to exactly how he had thanked her in the hall the prior evening. 

David emitted a sound between a grunt and a growl as he pointed an accusatory finger at Hook’s expression. “There it is again. I don’t want to know, but watch yourself with that leer of yours.”

Killian chuckled, but humored him by schooling his expression into something less self-satisfied. “I thanked her and then…”

“And then what?” David prompted, anxious for any information he could get out of Hook.

“It’s a tad embarrassing, but to be honest... I yawned. I was exhausted. I don’t know about your experience when you were… heartless, but I found it quite draining to be at the disposal of a murderous magician for almost a week. Once my heart was restored, and my... excitement at having it restored had worn off, I found myself fatigued to the point of exhaustion. Emma would brook no opposition; she promptly put me to bed.”

At the way David’s brow instantly furrowed at that, Killian quickly clarified, “To sleep. She insisted I get some uninterrupted rest. She told me this morning,” Killian picked up his phone as if in explanation of how he’d gotten the story, “that I was, and I quote, ‘out like a light’ last night and she didn’t want to disturb me by staying so she came down here for dinner and ended up having drinks with Regina. So you see... if she was out late, it was not due to any machinations of mine.”

“Oh,” David sank back against the bench seat of the booth, letting that information digest fully. 

“To sate your curiosity...” Killian picked up his phone, turned it around, and showed Dave the picture that appeared on it. “This image is what occasioned the expression that offended you earlier.” 

David squinted as he studied the small photo. “It’s a picture of eggs and bacon.”

“Aye,” Killian agreed with the obvious statement.

“You’re telling me you were sitting here, with that smug grin and it was because of a photo of eggs and bacon? Taken at what looks like… my kitchen table?”

“Aye,” Killian repeated, as he pointed to the phone “Your daughter, via this device, transported a picture of her morning repast to me.”

“So eggs make you smile like that?” David shot at him with palpable disbelief.

“Nay, Emma makes me smile like that.” Killian returned just as fast. 

“A-ha!” David cried as if he’d found the key to his entire case.

“Pardon?” Killian asked trying to keep his air of amiable calm.

“The smug smile was about Emma!” 

Killian sat back in the seat and gestured widely with hand and hook. “Of course, it was, mate. See, I’m an adaptable fellow, I find pleasure in small things, but it’s doubtful I’d be sitting her by myself and smiling like a lunatic about anything but Emma.”

“So... things are getting serious between you two.” David’s manner was full of suspicion. 

Killian tilted his head slightly and studied the other man. On one hand, he was anxious for David to be on his side; on the other, he had no desire to break Emma’s confidence. Besides, he had no certainty if it was serious between him and Emma. It felt serious and for his part, it was deadly serious, but for Emma, he was never quite sure, at least not sure enough to speak it aloud. He thought she felt as he did, but they hadn’t said as much to one another. In point of fact, he hadn’t told her exactly how he felt either, though he demonstrated it as often as he could. 

Therefore, after weighing his options, he settled on saying, “With all due respect, I have no wish to discuss Emma with her father, especially if you’re seeking information because she doesn’t wish to confide in you herself.” Killian paused as he watched David stiffen at his words, he softened his message by adding, “The truth, however, is that I would be happy, more than happy, to discuss the woman who makes me smile with a mate, but...”

“That’s... awkward,” David replied and then reddened almost imperceptibly before quickly adding, “That is if I’m the mate.” 

“Exactly,” Killian agreed, trying not to smile. 

David nodded his head a few times and then tried again. “You understand, don’t you? My concern?”

Killian studied the other man and then decided to speak freely. This wasn’t the first time he’d reflected on David’s over protective streak when it came to him and Emma. “I understand that she is precious to you.” Killian cleared his throat and then looked at the other man with honesty and sympathy before he continued. “There was a time in Emma’s life that she desperately needed protecting and you were prevented from being there for her. She needed her father, but instead had to make her way on her own. It eats at you every hour of every day; you wonder if you made the right decision, you wonder if there would’ve been another way. So now, when you have a chance to be a father to her, to protect her, you’re overcompensating.”

David’s expression changed as the other man spoke. By the time he finished, David’s eyes were so wide they were bugging out of his head. Part of him wanted to punch Hook in the face for his impertinence, the other part was breathless at how painfully astute his observation was.

Killian watched the other man’s reaction and decided to continue. “I can’t give you a satisfactory answer about why I’m smiling, because what I have to say won’t satisfy you. My relationship with your daughter is progressing and will continue to progress if I have anything to say in the matter. But what I can do is assure you that Emma... is as precious to me, as she is to you.”

David swallowed and found there was a sizeable lump in his throat. After a period of silence, he met Hook’s gaze. “I know. I know she is. I don’t know...” David sighed audibly as the truth hit him. “You’re right. You’re absolutely right. I am overcompensating for all the times I wasn’t there. I... I’ll try to be better, less suspicious.” He sighed and then met Killian’s eye, less of a challenge in his own than had been there prior. “So what would you tell your mate about the woman who makes you smile like that?”

“I’d tell him that she is the most bloody brilliant, amazing woman in this or any other realm and she kisses-“

“STOP!” David all but roared bringing his hands to his ears as if to block out the words.

Killian yielded by discontinuing his speech and then chuckled. “Sorry, mate, but you have to admit you were asking for it. By the way I would never disrespect Emma by kissing and telling, so I was never going to finish that sentence.”

David glared at him and then, once he’s recovered from the too-much-information close call, relented and gave a huff of laughter himself. “So we’re mates?” David looked skeptical, not certain he was quite on board with the concept. 

“Aren’t we? I spend more time with you than pretty much anyone but Emma,” Killian replied his tone a tad cheeky and unperturbed by David’s seeming reticence. 

“Mates.” David said the word as if trying it on for size and shrugged. “Truth be told, I don’t have many mates in this town.”

“What are you talking about? What about all those dwarfs running around?”

David shrugged before admitting, “They’re really my wife’s friends.”

“Neither do I,” Killian nodded in agreement, “my old crew hasn’t exactly turned the new leaf that I have.” 

“Then it’s settled,” David replied matter-of-factly, not able to stop the grin that was currently spreading across his face. “Mates.”

Killian chuckled lightly and then once again raised his coffee cup in a toast, “Mates.”

This time David readily obliged him and ceremoniously clinked his to-go cup against Killian’s before taking a sip. 

As David returned the cup to the table, he eyed Killian skeptically one more time. “Of course, mates or no, if you hurt my daughter, I’ll rip your heart out again myself.”

Killian just smiled widely at that.

“Now, why, are you smiling at that? It’s a threat. I just threatened you.”

“Because... Emma... our Emma, has never had anyone who would rip a man’s heart out for her. While she can certainly take care of herself, it’s nice that now she has two.”

The End.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m toying with doing one more part to this, a Killian and Emma conversation for next week’s CS hiatus week theme – Killian + Hand. We’ll see.


	3. Part 3 - Emma and Killian

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is the third and final part of this series of stories and can be read together or stand-alone. Killian and Emma finally discuss his heart, his hand and his ill-fated dealings with Rumple. Captain Swan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> While not what I intended when writing the first part, this has pretty much turned into a post-ep for 4x11 so I could write the conversation we were denied in the finale and will probably never see.

Emma felt a buzzing sensation as she parked her car outside Granny’s and entered the diner. Normally walking into Granny’s wouldn’t provide such a nervous rush, but she had an agenda, a very specific agenda. As she crossed the threshold, she scanned the dinner until her gaze found what it sought. However, she wasn’t entirely happy with what she saw. 

In the very back of the familiar surroundings sat her pirate. Smiling. That part made her happy and she felt a tug in her chest. It was just last night that she’d held his heart in her hands. At the memory, an ice-cold shiver raced along her spine and she felt goose bumps rise on her arms. 

That shiver, that remembrance of dread, was why she was here. They needed to talk. About the fact that his heart had not been where it belonged and it appeared to have been that way for some time. Her need for answers was why she wasn’t entirely happy, for she found he wasn’t alone. Her father was sitting across from Killian in the booth; it was hardly a conversation she wanted to have in front of him. 

One might think she would have demanded answers from Killian immediately after the hair-raising events of the prior evening. However, there had been little opportunity. From the moment she’d said goodbye to Elsa, and Anna had dropped the bombshell about Gold, the night was a blur. She’d barely had time to digest that Killian was in danger before she was holding his heart in her hands. 

Now that she reflected on it, holding his most precious organ in her hands seemed almost surreal. Of course it wasn’t that long ago when the idea would have been so absurd to her she wouldn’t have believed it. Of course her notions and ideas of what was possible had changed drastically over the last two years. 

When she’d woken that morning she’d felt at peace for the first time in weeks. As far as she knew, it was the first time the town was rising without threat from Snow Queens, wicked witches or murderous, duplicitous imps. She’d called Killian this morning, first thing, to make sure he was okay; then they’d been texting silly photos, but a conversation about the fact that his heart had been misplaced for god-only-knew-how-long definitely called for a face to face conversation. 

For days, she’d known something had been off with Killian, but it wasn’t until he was kissing her last night, his heart once again beating in his chest, that she realized what had been at the edge of her subconscious for days. Something was terribly wrong with him and now she knew what that something was. However last night he’d kissed her and then almost collapsed, so there’d been no reasonable opportunity for him to recount what had happened. But now, now that all seemed quiet and he’d gotten sufficient rest, she needed answers. And she was going to get them.

Or she was going to get them as soon she got rid of her father. Her step had stuttered as she’d processed the information that he was here, sitting with her… with her… what was he? Boyfriend seemed too juvenile. Lover, inaccurate, at least so far. Significant Other… too formal. So, in her mind, she settled on ‘her Killian.’ Her father was sitting there with her Killian.

Setting aside any unease she felt at them apparently sequestered together, conversing intently, she made a beeline for the booth they occupied. While she knew they got along just fine during times of crisis, she also knew when her father had time to think about things he tended towards being a bit overprotective. 

When Killian spotted her approach, his face instantly transformed; from a humorous smirk one moment, to wide, surprised eyes the next all the way to beaming as he acknowledged her presence. “Swan.” He immediately moved to stand up at her entrance, but she waved him off and instead shooed him into the booth further so she could slide in next to him. 

Once seated, she looked between her dad and Killian, all seemed well, and she couldn’t detect any open tension. “Am I interrupting something?”

“Not at all,” Killian replied before her father could so much as open his mouth. 

Emma smiled in greeting at her father and surveyed the table, including Killian’s abandoned breakfast. She motioned to the now-cold meal. “You didn’t eat much of your oatmeal.”

“Aye, I was too busy figuring out how to capture it’s likeness with my talking phone, alas it was cold by the time I’d succeeded.”

“It’s a photograph and, I’ve told you, just phone. Not talking phone,” David replied trying to sound grumpy, but with too much amusement in his expression to appear that way. 

Killian ignored him and continued to look at Emma next to him. “I trust your morning meal was as appetizing as it looked?”

Cognizant of her father sitting across from them, she smiled self-consciously. “It was. I just left mom and the baby.”

“You were out late last night…” Her father said, trying to sound casual but obviously fishing as his eyes darted between the two, as if a sliver of doubt remained over what Killian had told him only moments earlier.

“I spent some time with Regina and Henry. They have an interesting project going on. Then I went to see Belle,” she glanced at Killian before she continued, “I wanted to make sure she was okay... and that Gold was no longer a threat. I was there longer than I anticipated; she... she needed a shoulder to cry on.”

“Ah,” David smiled and seemed satisfied with the answer. “No doubt she did. I’m sure your mother will stop by and see her today. Well, I should be getting back to the station.” He slipped out of the booth and then on impulse he leaned down and pressed a quick kiss onto the top of his daughter’s head. “I’ll see you at home later,” he added, then nodded at Killian, turned and left the diner.

Emma sat still for a moment as an unexpected wave of sentiment washed over her; she will wasn’t entirely used to familial affection. It always took her a bit by surprise. 

Killian considered her suddenly altered countenance, trying to read her mind. After a moment he shook her out of her revere, with a gentle tone he said, “Well, love, what are your plans for the day.”

She glanced back over at him, taking in his soft expression that was clearly reading her like an open book. She took a deep breath and then replied matter-of-factly, “You.”

“Me?” Killian grinned wickedly and raised one eyebrow. “I’m at your disposal. What did you have in mind?”

She shifted in her seat and turned so she could level her gaze at him. “Answers.”

“Oh,” Killian replied, feeling his stomach sink. There were many things he knew Emma should know, but none that he was anxious to tell her. He glanced at the table where he drummed his fingers nervously against the smooth surface. “Of course.”

She reached over and gently gripped his chin, lifting it so he was looking at her once more. She looked at him carefully, appraisingly, as if she was trying to detect some defect. Then, without warning, she leaned forward and pressed her lips to his. For a moment he was stunned into immobility. Frozen by her unexpected show of affection, but as soon as he registered what was happening, the trepidation from a moment early was gone and the surge of passion that always ignited when she was near, flared and he leaned forward and deepened their connection. Tilting his head, opening his mouth and tracing her lips with his tongue, he marveled, as he always did, how well they fit together. How delicious was their physical connection.

The moment he depend the kiss, familiar tingles shot through Emma and she felt her stomach flip in her belly. Her physical reaction told her everything she needed to know and, so, just as he was really getting into it; she abruptly pulled back, breaking the intense and intimate contact in an instant. 

Feeling bereft and confused that the kiss had ended as suddenly as it began, his eyes still closed, he asked in a hoarse whisper, “What’s wrong?” 

“Thankfully, nothing’s wrong.” With a relieved sigh she ran her fingers tenderly from his cheek down his neck until her hand rested on his shoulder. “I was just checking.”

“Checking?” His confusion was compounded by the fact that he was still slightly breathless from the kiss. 

“Making sure… everything’s intact and you’re… you. I might be a bit paranoid for awhile.” Now she looked at him with a slightly saucy grin. “You see… I know how you kiss.”

“Do you?” He asked wholly unable to hide the delight he felt at those words, even though he knew the impending conversation would probably be anything but delightful. 

“That’s right and I’ll never doubt my instincts again. So, first, how are you feeling? I know you said you were okay when we talked this morning, but-”

“I’m fine, love,” he interrupted her line of questioning abruptly, but then he smiled at her. “I promise. A good night’s rest is all I required.”

“You didn’t eat much.” Once again, she motioned to the oatmeal in front of him.

“After I successful conquered photographs on my phone, your father… well, he had a few things he wished to speak to me about and alas sustenance was forgotten.”

“Did he?” Emma tried to sound nonchalant, however the involuntary raise of her eyebrow recollected the curiosity she’d felt when she’d found them huddled together in the booth moments earlier. “What was that?”

Killian looked at her intently, his eyes roaming her face. “Nothing to worry about. He’s… he’s a good father, Emma. That’s all. The type I wish I’d had as a lad. I may have needled him a bit, but we came to an understanding.”

Emma studied him for moment, then nodded and decided not to press it further. “Since you didn’t eat breakfast, do you want to order something else?”

Killian shook his head. “I’m fine, love, my appetite will keep until lunch.”

“Alright,” she said as she slid out of the booth and then held her left hand out to him, “let’s get out of here.”

xXx 

Killian glanced surreptitiously down at where his fingers were laced with Emma’s and then to the side at her face. He was torn between the elation of being on, what looked like from the outside, a romantic stroll with Emma and the dread of all he had to make a clean breast of and how that conversation would unfold. He was in no hurry and quite content to wait for her to open that conversation. 

After about fifteen minutes of unhurried walking the only words passing between them inconsequential, either about the weather or observations on the sights and sounds of a quiet Storybrooke morning they found themselves at the bench by the lake. Emma’s bench. Their bench.

She let go of his hand, sat down and then gestured for him to join her. Folding one knee under her she took a deep breath and turned to face him on the bench. “So…”

“So…” Killian replied giving the same unsatisfying answer to the prompt that David had given him earlier at Granny’s. 

She shot him a pointed look. “Killian…”

“Where would you like me to start?” Killian sighed as Emma watched him expectantly.

“The beginning.”

“There was a handsome young lad from-”

Emma raised her hand to stop him. “I want to hear that story; actually I find I very much want to hear it, but right now…”

Killian knew his attempt at humor would be fruitless. He was terrified of what Emma would think once she heard the entire story, knew of all he had done. Resignedly, he sighed and said, “You want to talk about my heart and the crocodile.” 

She nodded her head in agreement and then looked out over the lake. “As I was walking around last night, I was turning the events of the last few weeks over and over in my mind.” She looked back at him, trying to gage his reaction to her words. “So I’m going to guess that this whole thing with Gold started when your left hand somehow became magically reattached for our date.”

His gaze immediately fell to the ground and shame washed over him, the tips of his ears turned red. He was silent for a long moment before he spoke. “Aye.”

“What happened?” Emma asked incredulously. “How did that even come about? I knew I should have asked at the time, I was just so distracted.”

“By my dashing good looks and gallant manners?” Killian asked almost hopefully and accompanied by a half-hearted smile. 

Emma shook her head at him to signal she was not having his attempts at humor and then motioned with her hand for him to take the story from there.

“You remember…” Killian swallowed a nervous lump that had taken up residence in his throat, “when we were searching for the Snow Queen, trying to help Elsa. We went to the pawn shop.” She furrowed her brow in an effort of memory and then nodded in agreement, thinking back to that trip. “While you questioned him, I mostly observed. And I knew. I just knew he was lying to Belle. He had never given her the real dagger.” 

“You knew he was lying about that?” Emma allowed her awe at his powers of perception to show.

“Aye.”

“That’s supposed to be my skill, detecting lies…” Emma felt a tinge of embarrassment creep over her. She shook her head in disgust. “I had no idea.”

“I’ve known the Crocodile quite a bit longer than you.” Killian grimaced as he thought of his nemesis. “It was unlikely he’d ever give power over himself to anybody, even Belle.”

“I told my mother you were clever,” Emma murmured without thinking.

“You did? When was this?” Killian perked up at the chance to turn the conversation to a much more agreeable topic. 

“Never you mind.” Emma smirked at his eagerness and then looked serious once again. “This is about you. If you knew he was lying why didn’t you tell me, or Belle?” 

“Alas, I wasn’t certain. I’d planned to keep my eye on him, but then a situation arose where I was desperate and I saw an opportunity to use the information and…” his voice trailed off provocatively.

“You took it.” Emma’s voice was neutral, Sheriff-like, as if she was neither clearing nor condemning him.

“Aye.” 

“What desperate situation? How was getting your hand back a desperate situation? You’ve been without it, what, for centuries?”

“Alas, my lost appendage is not the desperate situation I’m referring to.” 

“Okay, then, what are you referring to? What desperate situation arose that you couldn’t tell me about?” Emma’s eyes drilled through his, she fought the familiar urge to get lost in their blue depths, and instead she concentrated on compelling information from him. 

“You relegated me to babysitting duty while you were headed straight for danger, to me that’s the definition of a desperate situation.” For the first time in the conversation, Killian took on a sharper tone, sounding as if he would make the same decision again and again. “So I went to the crocodile and told him what I suspected about the dagger and, he indeed, suddenly remembered a way to track the Snow Queen.”

“Ahhh.” Emma cocked her head at him as understanding dawned. “So, you blackmailed him?”

Killian bit his lip nervously and then looked her in the eye. “Aye.”

“Because you’re still a pirate…” It was half resigned statement, half question. Part of Emma never wanted him to lose any segment of himself, the other part was wary of the less predictable side of him resurfacing. 

“Love,” his voice was soft, but determined, “I’m never going to sit idly by when any peril might attend your actions. I will use any means at my disposal to aide you…that will never change whether the actions are consistent with those of a pirate or not. ”

Emma’s stomach flip-flopped in her belly and she felt her breathing hitch. Of course, it had been for her. She knew, in her heart, that he would do anything for her; he’d proven that time and again. However, a lifetime of people failing to be there for her in even the simplest of ways had taught her to doubt her worthiness of such devotion. “So you blackmailed him to find the Snow Queen… to save me…”

“Aye.”

Now she allowed her lips to quirk upward. “But ironically it was actually me that saved you from the Snow Queen.”

“That you did, love.” Killian returned her smile and looked at her with pride. “You were bloody brilliant.”

Emma felt a blush creep up her neck, but shook herself; she needed to stay on task. With a deep breath, she gestured to his hook. “What happened with the hand?”

Killian sighed and ran his hand down his face roughly. “Once I knew the power I had over him, I’d no intention of abusing it. Mostly, I wanted to see what his next move would be. But then...”

“What?”

“You asked me on a date.”

“And you needed your hand back for our date because...”

“It’s my hand,” Killian replied tersely. “That he had in a jar displayed as a bloody souvenir.”

“I know, I know,” Emma reached up and cupped his cheek, soothingly her hand over the smooth skin of his face. “It is your hand and he took it from you violently. It’s natural you would want it back. But you, better than anyone, know what he is, everything he does comes with a price, what could possibly be worth pushing him this way?” 

Killian brought his lone hand up to cover hers that was still resting on his cheek and brought it down so he could kiss her palm and then gazing intently at her, he simply said, “You.”

“Me?” Emma’s eyes went wide and she felt a wall of guilt slam into her gut, to the point where she leaned over slightly and brought her free arm across her stomach protectively. She was silent for a moment and then she looked back up to where his eyes were roaming over her in concern. Swallowing roughly, she disentangled their hands and then reached for his hook. “Killian, you know I don’t care about this, right?” Before he could reply, she shook her head, her mind suddenly racing with memories of offhand remarks and unkind one-liners. “This isn’t because of anything I might have said when I was angry and pushing you away, was it? Because you were able to see through everything else I said then, I... I... assumed you were able to see through all of it and I would hate it if you ever had the impression that I thought less of you because of it. I-”

“Love,” Killian tried to interrupt her, tried to calm her, but she didn’t allow it.

“This is all my fault, isn’t it? I let you think I cared or even noticed it, and...” her voice choked with raw emotion on the sentiment, “it almost got you killed.”

“No, no no.” Killian gripped her shoulder with his right hand. Emma, it’s not your fault. My actions are mine alone and...” he swallowed roughly and his eyes found a patch on the pavement that needed his undivided attention. “You should know I did it, I blackmailed the crocodile, not because of anything you said back then, but because of me, what I desired.” He cleared his throat, feeling a flush begin on his chest. “On the rare chance you would let me... hold you... on our date; I wanted to do it with both hands.”

Emma was stunned into silence, the desperate guilt she’d felt moments earlier receding. It was such a simple explanation, almost too simple, yet knowing him; she didn’t doubt the honesty of it for even a second. Then, as if drawn by a magnet, she moved towards him, into him, and before she knew what she was doing, she was kissing him. 

Killian felt his heart jump in his chest when her lips found his, then relief washed over him as he let her take the lead in the kiss. From deep in his throat came a sound that could only be described as a hybrid between a moan and a whimper as her warm mouth did gentle, yet delicious things to his own.

Admitting that to her, had been terrifying. While he grew more confident by the day in her feelings for him, the sentiment was just the kind of thing that at one time would have scared her away and that was the last thing he wanted to do.

After several breathless minutes, their lips reluctantly parted. However, they didn’t break apart, her forehead still rested against his. In the space where their breaths commingled, she murmured, “That’s the sweetest reason for blackmail I’ve ever heard.”

He chuckled lightly at that, moved to the side to kiss her cheek and then murmured in her ear, “It’s the truth.”

She leaned back and gave herself a moment to recover from the achingly sweet kiss. She brought one hand up to trace the outline of his face as he actively watched her, trying to gage what she would say next. “I mean it, that’s very sweet, but when do we get to the part where your heart disappears and I almost lose you?”

Killian took her hand from his face and squeezed it. He sat back, took a deep breath and steeled himself. He met her eye with a determination that he hoped would show that he was speaking nothing but the truth and he began.

“This is where it gets complicated,” Killian said and then with no more attempts at humor or distraction he proceeded to tell her the rest. His fears that the Crocodile has cursed his hand, the deal with the devil he’d made to get his hook back, Gold’s fake evidence and blackmail of him and then his discovery of what Gold planned to do to Emma. His voicemail to Emma, Gold’s plan for his heart, and demise, Gold’s larger plan for the town, and Henry, and ending with the deeds he’d committed while Gold controlled his every word and movement. 

Emma had interrupted very little during the rest of his recital. When he was finished, she sat stunned, looking out over the water as she tried to make sense of it all. 

Killian sat watching her trying to measure her reaction to everything he’d said, but despite his claim that Emma was an open book to him, at the moment, he wasn’t sure whether she was going to kiss him again or slap him, or worse, never want to see him again.

She squeezed her eyes shut as if trying to escape from it all, but that wasn’t going to happen. She blew out a breath and then turned to face him. 

“All that time, you thought you were going to die?” her voice was small and clouded with emotion.

Killian gulped and nodded slowly.

She bit her lip and looked at him with glistening eyes, “Killian, I’m so sorry.”

Killian’s eyes went wide; an apology was the last thing he expected. “Swan, no, it was my fault.”

She shook her head to silence him. “And we’re going to get to you in a minute, but... I can’t believe all of this passed without me noticing. I feel... ashamed,” she blinked away tears that were forming at the back of her eyes, “because I know if our situations were reversed you would have noticed. You would have known something was off and done something about it.”

Killian reached up and wiped the tear that managed to form and roll down her cheek with the index finger of his right hand. “You had much to occupy your mind with the Snow Queen and your magic, then that blasted curse of shattered sight. The whole town has been in crisis mode for the last week, you’ve had a lot with which to deal.”

“True,” she conceded. “But you were acting so strangely and the way you gripped my arm in the diner. I knew that was weird. Why didn’t I act on it? You could have died because I ignored all the signs. Henry could be living half way around the world with Gold because I ignored my gut!” Emma brought her palm up to her forehead as the harrowing thought occurred to her. 

“Love, don’t beat yourself up, you stopped him,” Killian implored.

She shook her head vigorously. “No, Belle stopped him. I went and got myself frozen just as he was about to crush your heart.”

“Okay,” he once again reached for her hand and laced their fingers. “Stop that. You defeated the Snow Queen, you broke the curse before anyone was injured or worse, you arrived in the nick of time to save me and all is well thanks in no small measure to your efforts. This town would be lost without you, Emma. I would be lost without you.”

She looked at him imploring a weak smile gracing her lips. “And I would be lost without you.”

At that, his heart lifted to the heavens and a delighted grin spread across his face. However, Emma wasn’t having it.

“Don’t get ahead of yourself, I still need to take you to task for lying to me. I understand that once he had your heart, you had no choice or ability to tell me. But before that, how could you not tell me he was blackmailing you?” Emma’s voice was soft, yet imploring. 

“There was a video tape of my likeness murdering the old man. I didn’t do it, but there it was. It seemed... insurmountable. Besides, once I completed the task with the hat, he didn’t call on me again until he had my heart. I thought perhaps it was over, I’d paid my debt for his restoring my hook and it need not be spoken of again.”

In a gesture of comfort, Emma slipped her arm around his shoulder. The fingers of her left hand slid through the back of his hair, as she looked deeply into his eyes. “Did you really believe it was over? That the ‘crocodile,’” she made air quote with her right hand as she said the word, “would let you off that easy?”

“No,” Killian shook his head as Emma played with the hair that fell over the nape of his neck. “And I intended to tell you, but you had so much going on with us finding that video tape from your past with the Snow Queen and our search, then you disappeared... I didn’t want to burden you, and I was scared.”

“Scared?”

“Of losing you. We’d just found our way together and I was heartily ashamed of the mistake I’d made. I wouldn’t have blamed you if you’d ended things, but I obviously didn’t want that.”

Emma nodded her head a couple of times as tears once again glistened in her eyes. When she spoke, there was a catch in her voice. “We can’t be together if you’re not honest with me. I’ve had too much of that in my life.”

His heart sank into the earth and the optimism he’d felt since he’d gotten his heart back, shattered into a million pieces. He’d told himself that if Emma were okay, if somehow how she survived all the threats against her, he would be okay with not being with her. However, while he would trade his own life for hers in a heartbeat, sitting here on this bench, both of them out of danger, the idea of losing her now was not something he was sure he could survive. He felt heat behind his own eyes and his face twisted in anguish. 

Emma saw the transformation and was immediately alarmed. Hastily, she pulled her hand from the back of his neck where it was resting, so she could caress his cheek soothingly once again. “Hey, hey, I’m not saying we can’t be... together.” Emma paused for a second, surprising herself with how easy the concept rolled off her tongue. “I think I understand what’s been happening and I believe you’ve told me the truth today. I know what’s in your heart. But I’m serious Killian, if this,” she gestured between the two of them, “means anything to you, you will never withhold something like this again. You’ve got to trust me.”

He nodded, eagerly, almost looking like a lost puppy returned to its owner. “You have my word.”

She smiled at him as he took her hand and then brought it to his lips. He pressed a gentle kiss onto the smooth skin of her fingers as they curled around his. They sat still for a moment, both looking at the other as if there life depended on it. Finally, she broke the spell by clearing her throat and pushing herself off the bench with her free arm. She then pulled at their joined hands encouraging him to rise as well. “You’ve got to be hungry by now, let’s go get some food in you.”

“Anywhere, but Granny’s,” he agree with a wide smile. He rose, but before she could start towards Main Street, he tugged her towards him and in one fluid motion, wrapped his arms snuggly around her waist. 

Instantly, she melted into his warm embrace as he buried his face in her neck and drew her closer. Her arms tightened around his neck as she squeezed her eyes shut to try to stem the tears she felt building there. She heard him murmur, “I was so worried about what Gold’s plan and my involvement might mean for you, for Henry, for the whole town. I’m so glad you’re okay. That everyone’s going to be okay.”

Emma squeezed him harder as his words wound around her chest, squeezing tight. How had she come to let a pirate into her heart so fully? She wasn’t sure but the thought that she had made her smile. After a minute or two, she released the tight grip she had on him and leaned back enough to look up into his eyes. “According to Belle, Gold is banished outside the town line, he won’t be able to make mischief with magic from out there, but I never count him out. If he shows his face in this town, he’s going to have me to deal with. There will be a price to pay for almost stealing my son and killing my pirate.”

“Don’t forget he tried to kill you, too.”

“Yes,” Emma laughed mirthlessly. “Thanks for reminding me.” Once again, she reached for his hand and lacing their fingers, tugged him towards the center of town. “Speaking of that, it sounds like our first order of business is trying to rescue the magical beings from Gold’s hat of horrors.”

“Aye,” Killian replied, but he winced as he said it. 

“What?” Emma asked, now determined to be more aware of his emotional state. 

“Nothing... there are probably quite a few souls imprisoned in there who aren’t going to be pleased to see me.”

Emma shook her head resolutely and squeezed his hand. “You were under Gold’s control. I will make them understand, we’ll get through this...”

“Together?” he asked, almost timidly. 

“Yes, together,” she confirmed and shot him the brightest, happiest smile he’d seen in a long, long time. 

In that moment, Killian vowed to devote the rest of his life to making her smile.

And Emma silently vowed to let him as it dawned on her what her mother had meant that morning. Letting Killian into her heart was the cause of her smile.

Mystery solved.


End file.
